This study aimed to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of e-health interventions in improving physical activity and associated health outcomes during pregnancy, (2) compare the e-health functions employed across interventions and (3) systematically identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used and examine their interrelationships.
A systematic review and meta-analysis following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
Randomised controlled trials were included. Meta-analyses and subgroup analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3. Social network analysis was conducted to determine the most central BCTs within the intervention landscape.
Ten databases were searched, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Scopus, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and the China Science and Technology Journal Database, from inception to April 22, 2024.
Thirty-five studies were included. Pooled analyses indicated that e-health interventions significantly improved both total (SMD: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.27; I 2 = 55%) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (SMD: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.26; I 2 = 53%) in pregnant women. Subgroup analyses revealed that interventions based on theoretical frameworks and those not specifically targeting overweight or obese women demonstrated greater effectiveness. Additionally, e-health interventions were associated with significant reductions in both total and weekly gestational weight gain. Six of the twelve e-health functions were utilised, with ‘client education and behaviour change communication’ being the most prevalent. Thirty unique BCTs were identified; among them, ‘instruction on how to perform the behaviour’, ‘self-monitoring’, ‘problem solving’, and ‘goal setting’ showed the highest degree of interconnectedness.
E-health interventions are effective in enhancing physical activity and reducing gestational weight gain during pregnancy. Incorporating theoretical frameworks and well-integrated BCTs is recommended to optimise intervention outcomes.
Integrating e-health interventions into existing perinatal care models holds promise for enhancing physical activity among pregnant women and improving maternal health outcomes.
This study adhered to the PRISMA checklist.
No patient or public involvement.
The study protocol was preregistered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024518740)
Preventing skin tears (STs) in older adults is an urgent public health concern, especially in long-term care (LTC) facilities. However, limited research on ST prevention among care workers exists due to a lack of suitable assessment tools. This study aims to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice instrument for care workers in preventing Skin Tears (KAP-ST) in older adults.
The KAP-ST was developed and validated in four phases during May–October 2024. First, an item pool was generated through a comprehensive literature review. Second, a preliminary instrument was developed through a Delphi expert consultation and pilot testing. Third, the items and the final instrument were optimised through a cross-sectional survey involving 317 care workers from 29 LTC facilities in China. Finally, a psychometric evaluation was conducted in another cross-sectional survey involving 373 care workers from 18 LTC facilities.
The final KAP-ST contains 35 items across knowledge, attitude and practice dimensions. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a nine-factor structure (factor loadings ranging from 0.451 to 0.799, accounting for 61.35% of total variance). The Item-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) values ranged from 0.926 to 1.000, and the Scale-Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.991. The instrument's Cronbach's α, split-half, and test–retest reliability coefficients were 0.887, 0.744, and 0.934, respectively. The CFA analysis revealed an ideal absolute fit validity (RMSEA = 0.068; RMR = 0.029) and parsimony fit validity (PGFI = 0.684).
The KAP-ST demonstrates strong reliability, structural validity and content validity. It is well-suited for assessing care workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices in preventing STs among older adults. Further research is required to enhance and confirm its validity.
STs in the spotlight recently necessitate the use of appropriate investigative tools to facilitate in-depth research, especially for care workers, who should prioritise access to specialised knowledge. Introducing professional guidance in LTC facilities is recommended to enhance the knowledge, attitude and practice of care workers.
Standardised Guidelines for Scale Construction and COSMIN checklist.
No patient or public contributions.
To explore how the mentor-student relationship affects nursing graduate students' satisfaction with mentors, as well as how mentoring mode and learning motivation work together.
A multi-centre cross-sectional study.
Thirty universities and colleges in eastern, central and western China.
A total of 826 nursing graduate students from thirty universities and colleges participated in this study in April 2024.
Data were collected using the general information questionnaire, mentor-student relationship entry, mentoring mode questionnaire, graduate students' satisfaction item and learning motivation scale. Data were analysed using SPSS 25.0 software. The PROCESS macro-plugin and the bootstrap method were utilised to examine the mediating and moderating effects of learning motivation and mentoring mode.
There was a positive correlation between nursing graduate students' satisfaction with mentors and the mentor-student relationship (r = 0.377, p < 0.001), learning motivation (r = 0.600, p < 0.001), and mentoring mode (r = 0.292, p 0.001). Learning motivation exerted a partial mediation effect between the mentor-student relationship and graduate students' satisfaction with mentors (mediation effect value = 0.182, 95% CI = 0.148–0.218). Mentoring mode moderated the path of learning motivation in the mentor-student relationship (interaction term coefficient = 0.031, 95% CI = 0.005–0.056).
Mentor-student relationship positively predicted nursing graduate students' satisfaction with mentors significantly. Learning motivation played a partial mediating effect between mentor-student relationship and graduate students' satisfaction with mentors and mentoring mode moderated between mentor-student relationship and learning motivation pathways. Therefore, cultivating positive teacher/helpful friend relationship, boosting students' learning motivation and improving mentoring mode techniques can all increase nursing graduate students' satisfaction with mentors.
No patient or public contribution.
To systematically analyse international empirical literature and establish a comprehensive understanding of the push and pull factors influencing retention and turnover among mid-career nurses.
An integrative review.
PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE (Ovid), and CINAHL (EBSCO) were searched for studies published between January 2001 and November 2024.
An integrative literature review was conducted following the five-step process outlined by Whittemore and Knafl. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and full text based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of eligible studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Data were extracted and synthesised narratively, and the findings were presented according to the socio-ecological framework.
A total of 1930 studies were identified, with 14 included for analysis: 10 qualitative, 3 quantitative, and 1 mixed-methods study. Guided by the socio-ecological framework, four themes and 10 subthemes emerged: (1) Intrapersonal (professional knowledge/skills, health issues, work-family balance); (2) Interpersonal (professional collaborative relationships, supervisor support); (3) Organisational (organisational characteristics, work characteristics, career development); and (4) Societal (salary/benefits, Social/governmental recognition).
This review reveals the heterogeneity of research on this topic and confirms previous findings. It identifies certain push-and-pull factors common to nurses across all stages of their careers. However, mid-career nurses face unique challenges, including more complex healthcare demands, declining health status, growing family caregiving responsibilities, unclear organisational roles, underutilisation of professional skills, career stagnation, and limitations on salary growth. These findings highlight the need for tailored retention strategies for mid-career nurses.
A “one-size-fits-all” retention strategy does not meet the needs of all nurses. To improve nurse retention rates, it is essential to address the shifting demands and priorities that arise as nurses reassess and transition through different career stages. For mid-career nurses, acknowledging and valuing their expertise and capabilities, providing sufficient resources, and fostering a supportive work environment that promotes career development may be effective strategies for retaining these experienced professionals.
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To explore the perceptions and experiences of parents caring for children with paediatric feeding disorders requiring feeding tubes (PFD-T).
A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted in this study.
Using purposive sampling, 12 parents were recruited from paediatric inpatient wards and the outpatient paediatric feeding clinic at a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. Data collection was done from July to December 2024. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with the parents (fathers or mothers) until data saturation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the interview content.
A total of three themes and six subthemes were identified, encapsulating the challenges experienced by parents with caregiving and feeding tube management, as well as the sources of support they had. The themes are: (1) A sense of community, (2) Grieving over the loss of normalcy and (3) Facing the unknown.
Parents in this study felt supported being in a community of other parents with children who have PFD-T. It enabled them to gain valuable information and offered them a space where they felt understood. At the same time, they expressed feelings of guilt and isolation, as the caregiving demands led to limited capacity to cater to or interact with other loved ones. Additional challenges parents faced included transitioning between types of feeding tubes and insufficient support from healthcare professionals.
Ethical approval was obtained from the National Health Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB 2024/00064) on 8 May 2024.
This study followed the reporting guidelines outlined by the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative (COREQ) research checklist.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
To develop a structured intervention aimed at enhancing family communication to reduce relapse in adolescents with depression.
This study follows a multi-stage process guided by the Intervention Mapping procedure with the Medical Research Council framework, assessing the layers of complexity. Its design comprises four interrelated stages to construct a family communication intervention, culminating in a pilot randomised controlled trial.
The program has four stages: (1) Identifying family interaction gaps through literature review and expert input; (2) Investigating communication needs of depressed adolescents and their families via a mixed methods study to develop a model intervention; (3) Refining the intervention with focus groups and expert e-Delphi; and (4) Finalising the intervention based on pilot randomised controlled trial outcomes. The research will be conducted in Greater Accra, Ghana.
The process will result in a family communication intervention tailored to the needs of adolescents with depression and their families. It will be pilot tested, and the results will inform a nationwide efficacy trial.
This research integrates qualitative and quantitative data to inform the development of an evidence-based family communication intervention. The program will carefully examine data integration and contextual challenges encountered during its implementation.
The intervention has the potential to enhance family communication, thus playing a crucial role in adolescent depression recovery by reducing relapse rates. Healthcare professionals will benefit from a structured, evidence-based communication tool that can be used in clinical settings.
The study focuses on improving communication between families of adolescents with depression, aiming to develop a family communication package for clinical and community use. This intervention may enhance recovery outcomes and reduce relapse risk for adolescents.
This study adhered to the GUIDED guideline for reporting intervention development studies.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To refine fall risk assessment scale among older adults with cognitive impairment in nursing homes.
A cross-sectional survey.
Mokken analysis was conducted to refine the assessment scale based on unidimensionality, local independence, monotonicity, dimensionality, and reliability. Data were gathered from cognitively impaired older adults in a nursing home from January to February 2023. Trained nursing assistants conducted face-to-face assessments and reviewed medical records to administer the scale.
Emotion and State Dimension did not meet unidimensionality criteria (H = 0.14), particularly item Q9, which also violated local independence. Monotonicity analysis showed all items exhibited monotonic increases. After refinement at c = 0.3, the scale consists of nine items. With increasing c-values, the first seven items were ultimately retained to form the final version of the scale. Both optimised scales (9-item and 7-item) satisfied reliability requirements, with all coefficients (Cronbach's α, Guttman's lambda-2, Molenaar-Sijtsma, Latent Class Reliability Coefficient) ≥ 0.74.
The scale is suitable for assessing fall risk among older adults with cognitive impairment, with a unidimensional scale of the first seven items recommended for practical use. Future efforts should refine the scale by exploring additional risk factors, especially emotion-related ones.
The refined 7-item scale provides nursing home staff with a practical, reliable tool for assessing fall risk in cognitively impaired older adults, enabling targeted prevention strategies to enhance safety and reduce injuries.
The refined 7-item scale provides nursing home staff with a reliable, practical, and scientifically validated tool specifically designed for assessing fall risk in older adults with cognitive impairment. Its simplicity enables efficient integration into routine clinical workflows, empowering caregivers to proactively identify risk factors and implement timely, targeted interventions. This approach directly enhances resident safety by translating assessment results into actionable prevention strategies within daily care practices.
This study was reported in accordance with the STROBE guidelines.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
Physiological, psychological, and social changes may make older adults more vulnerable to stressors and lead to adverse health outcomes. It remains unclear whether interventions targeting coping strategies in older adults are effective.
This study aimed to systematically review and summarize existing interventions aimed at improving coping strategies in older adults and analyze intervention effectiveness.
A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CNKI, SinoMed, VIP, and WanFang databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction.
A total of 9 studies were included, comprising 7 RCTs and 2 quasi-experimental studies. Meta-analysis revealed that the interventions significantly enhanced the use of problem-focused coping strategies among older adults (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.12 ~ 0.63, p = 0.005, I 2 = 39%). However, there was no significant effect on emotion-focused coping strategies (SMD = −0.07, 95% CI [−0.62, 0.48], p = 0.80, I 2 = 76%). Moreover, no significant statistical differences were observed between the intervention group and the control group in terms of positive (SMD = 1.49, 95% CI [−0.23, 3.21], p = 0.09, I 2 = 98%) or negative coping strategies (SMD = −0.76, 95% CI [−1.79, 0.28], p = 0.15, I 2 = 96%).
Interventions targeting coping strategies can significantly improve the problem-focused coping strategies of older adults. It is crucial to help older adults accurately recognize daily stressors, acquire emotional regulation strategies, and enhance coping skills. More large-scale RCTs are needed to draw more robust conclusions.
Ethnic minoritized women face cultural and systemic barriers in accessing antepartum and intrapartum care. Healthcare providers play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, but their perspectives and experiences in delivering culturally competent care remain underexplored.
To synthesise healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives on providing culturally competent antepartum and intrapartum care for ethnic minoritised women.
A qualitative meta-synthesis study design was employed. Six electronic databases were searched from their inception date till January 2025. The included studies were assessed using the method of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and findings were meta-synthesised using Sandelowski and Barroso's six-step approach. This review was registered via the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.
Overall, 38 studies were included, and three themes emerged. The first theme revealed how providers' biases and professional training distorted their ability to understand and respect cultural practices. The second theme underscored the impact of systemic barriers such as time constraints, resource scarcity and lack of representation among providers. The final theme highlighted healthcare providers' aspirations for improved communication, targeted training and guidance on building trust to enhance care delivery.
Healthcare providers encounter notable challenges in delivering culturally competent antepartum and intrapartum care, but remain hopeful about bridging gaps in communication and understanding. Practical recommendations include implementing mandatory cultural competency training at all levels of healthcare professional education, increasing resources for interpreters and cultural liaisons and fostering diversity within the healthcare workforce. Future research should explore patient-centred interventions and systemic reforms to improve care for ethnic minoritised women. These findings highlight the need for policies and practices that empower providers to deliver equitable, culturally respectful antepartum and intrapartum care.
No patient or public contribution.
To explore the illness coping experiences of patients with moderate-to-severe burns and provide a reference for healthcare professionals to formulate coping strategies.
Qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach.
From 1 June to 30 September 2024, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 patients with moderate-to-severe burns. Colaizzi's seven-step method was used for data analysis.
Seven subthemes and three higher order themes were identified: (1) perception of illness experience; (2) coping with disease threats; and (3) benefits of coping with illness. Most of the participants faced multiple difficulties in their disease experiences, such as increased financial pressure, higher pressure on family caregiving, deformed physical conditions and negative emotions. Positive psychological qualities, family and social support played significant roles in coping with these challenges.
Patients with moderate-to-severe burns experience multiple difficulties during their recovery. Effective coping resources can help them overcome these challenges.
Healthcare professionals should work with patients with moderate-to-severe burns and their families to establish an effective support system that enhances patients' coping abilities and promotes their overall recovery.
Patients with moderate-to-severe burns face diverse challenges. However, their experiences and coping processes during recovery remain unclear. This study provided valuable insights into their illness experiences and coping strategies. The findings highlighted multiple difficulties, such as a significant increase in financial pressure and dependence on family caregiving, painful and deforming physical conditions and various negative emotions. Positive psychological qualities, family and social support play an important role in coping with these challenges. Healthcare professionals should work with patients and their families to establish effective support systems to promote overall recovery.
No patient or public involvement.
To consolidate and synthesise the literature reporting perceptions of nurses and nursing students regarding evidence-based nursing.
Qualitative systematic review.
Seven electronic databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched from their respective inception dates to January 2025.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines guided this review. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and data were synthesised thematically using Sandelowski and Barroso's two-step approach.
Thematic analysis of the 19 included studies, published from 2007 to 2025, identified three key themes: (1) Advancing nursing through evidence, (2) Personal, structural and systemic challenges and (3) Promoting a new evidence-based nursing culture.
Evidence-based nursing can elevate nursing care standards and enhance patient outcomes. Numerous factors that encourage and hinder the implementation of evidence-based nursing among nurses and nursing students were reported.
This review suggests the need to incentivise nurses to champion evidence-based nursing initiatives, provide nurses and nursing students with continuing education, and develop updated evidence-based nursing guidelines. These strategies could help in cultivating a supportive evidence-based nursing workplace culture and improving the implementation of evidence-based nursing.
Valuable insights into the facilitators and barriers associated with the implementation of evidence-based nursing were reported by nurses and nursing students—the key personnel responsible for practising evidence-based nursing. Future research could be undertaken to explore the perceptions of nurses and nursing students across varied cultural settings and in underrepresented regions.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
To assess the global burden of pressure injuries from 1990 to 2021 and project trends to 2050.
A cross-sectional survey.
Using the Global Burden of Disease 2021 data from 204 countries (1990–2021), we performed a multilevel analysis incorporating age-period-cohort modelling, stochastic frontier analysis and Bayesian projections to 2050. Key metrics included age-standardised incidence rates, disability-adjusted life years and socio-demographic index stratification.
Global incident cases increased by 160.3%, from 1.22 million to 3.18 million. By 2050, cases are expected to reach 8.4 million, with 72.4% in low-middle socio-demographic index areas. Mortality among those aged 95 and older may triple.
The study emphasises the need for global collaboration to address the burden of pressure injuries through equitable prevention and improved healthcare infrastructure, especially in ageing and resource-limited regions.
The escalating global burden of pressure injuries in geriatric populations necessitates evidence-based approaches to optimise healthcare resource allocation and advance nursing-led prevention frameworks.
The STROBE checklist guided reporting.
Global Burden of Disease collaborators extracted the data and analysed it.
To explore the latent categories and influencing factors of dyadic decision self-efficacy among stroke patients and their caregivers.
A cross-sectional survey involving 305 patient-caregiver pairs was conducted using standardised questionnaires. Latent profile analysis was used to identify dyadic self-efficacy categories and multinomial logistic regression was employed to analyse influencing factors.
The dyadic decision self-efficacy of stroke patients and their caregivers was classified into three categories: low common decision self-efficacy group (35.6%), patients' high decision self-efficacy and caregivers' moderate decision self-efficacy group (38.6%), and high common decision self-efficacy group (25.8%). Influencing factors included patients' education level, income and health literacy, as well as caregivers' education, caregiving duration and social support.
The levels of dyadic decision self-efficacy among stroke patients and their caregivers are heterogeneous. Clinicians can develop targeted interventions involving both patients and caregivers, based on the population's characteristics and influencing factors, to improve their dyadic decision self-efficacy.
This study was conducted and reported in accordance with the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines.
The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the measurement properties of pressure injury risk assessment tools for cancer patients using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology, and to serve as a reference for clinical nurses in their hospital duties when choosing high-quality assessment tools.
A systematic review based on COSMIN methodology.
The English literature in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and the search period ranged from the inception of the database to September 30, 2024.
Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted the data, and evaluated the methodological quality and measurement properties of the included studies.
Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Two tools—the PUSO (Pressure Ulcer Scale in Oncology) and the Cuire scale—demonstrated sufficient evidence of content validity and structural validity, meeting the COSMIN quality standards. None of the studies reported the cross-cultural validity, stability, and measurement error of the assessment tool.
Following the COSMIN assessment, the PUSO and the Cuire were developed using rigorous procedures, ensuring sufficient overall quality for content validity, structural validity, and other measurement properties. We recommend their use across various environments, based on the quantity and content of specific items. The PUSO was recommended for clinical screening, whereas the Cuire scale was deemed more suitable for use in outpatient, community, and scientific research settings. However, these measurement properties are not without flaws, and their clinical application requires further validation.
Advanced cancer not only affects the physical, psychological, and social functions of patients, but it also impacts their adolescent children. There is a dearth of information regarding the understanding of family functioning and specific needs of patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children.
This qualitative study aimed to explore the experience and needs regarding family functioning of patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children, as well as understanding potential approaches for maintaining positive family functioning.
A descriptive qualitative study was employed.
This study was conducted at three tertiary hospitals in Changsha, China, from January to September 2023. Purposive sampling was adopted to recruit participants. 17 stage III and IV patients with cancer and 11 adolescent children were interviewed.
Face-to-face individual interviews were conducted among patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children. The data analysis employed Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method. The McMaster family functional model theoretical framework was utilised to facilitate the identification and organisation of topics, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the data.
Six themes were identified: communication challenges; impaired family role functioning; positive/negative feelings; over-involvement; change of behaviour control pattern; Needs for medical and psychological support. Both patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children expressed collective views and needs regarding family functioning.
The findings of this study reveal an understanding of family functioning and needs among patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children. The identified themes provide valuable insights for designing and implementing targeted intervention strategies.
Nursing interventions should focus on helping patients with advanced cancer and their adolescent children improve family functioning and communication skills. The findings indicate that communication challenges are a significant aspect of impaired family functioning, necessitating targeted interventions to enhance communication. Healthcare providers should be trained to recognise the diverse communication needs of families, which include providing resources for age-appropriate communication, counselling, and guidance on maintaining family routines. Enhancing the communication skills of patients and their children is crucial for addressing problem-solving needs and mitigating negative feelings, thereby fostering a more supportive family environment.